Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The Amazon Labor Union (ALU) is moving forward with unionization efforts at Amazon’s JFK8 warehouse after having “reached a sufficient showing of interest” to hold an election, according to National Labor Relations Board spokesperson Kayla Blado. The NLRB says that it’s scheduled a hearing for February 16th, after which the specifics and date for the election will be decided. This is only the second time Amazon’s warehouse workers have made it to this point in the unionization process, as Vice reporter Lauren Kaori Gurley pointed out on Twitter.
On Wednesday, the ALU tweeted that its petition had been accepted and that “the fight is just beginning.” It’s been working to unionize Amazon workers in New York for a while: in October 2021, it filed with the NLRB to hold a union election for Amazon facilities on Staten Island. It later withdrew the request because it didn’t have enough signatures, and refiled in December, focusing on just the JFK8 warehouse where it held walkouts before.
‼️ITS OFFICIAL‼️
The petition is accepted. Amazon warehouse JFK8 in Staten Island is having a union election! THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED! THE FIGHT IS JUST BEGINNING!!#amazon #unionizeamazon #ALUforthewin https://t.co/dUU0Hyom9D
— Amazon Labor Union (@amazonlabor) January 26, 2022
Amazon didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment. There’s currently another union drive at its BHM1 facility in Bessemer, Alabama, where an election is scheduled to begin on February 4th. It’s the second election at that warehouse, and was ordered after the NLRB ruled that Amazon had interfered with the first, which was held in 2021.